Using Coffee for Beauty and Relaxation
You deserve a spa day and your coffee is the key. Not only can it be relaxing as a scent and a beverage, it's also an ideal ingredient for your beauty treatments. We'll show you a few ideas for your own DIY spa day at home.
Before starting your spa day, make sure you prepare. Scented candles, cucumber or lemon water or herbal tea, fluffy towels, and some relaxing music are the bare necessities for a successful DIY spa experience.
For hydration purposes, having a ready supply of water is key. You can have cucumber water, lemon water, or try a refreshing tisane. After your spa treatment, try a relaxing cup of chamomile to keep the feeling going.
You can certainly use your own towels for your spa day. No need to spend money needlessly. Make them extra soft with vinegar and baking soda. Put your dirty towels in the washing machine with a cup of vinegar. (This will also work with clean towels.) Don't add anything else. Run them on hot or sanitize. After they're done, run them through again with a cup of baking soda. Put them in the dryer on high heat and enjoy your soft, clean towels! (Why does this work? The vinegar and baking soda strip the buildup of detergents on your towels)
Use your favorite music app and find a spa playlist. Here's one we like on Spotify.
Finally, turn down the lights and light a few candles. You can make your own coffee candles ahead of time and allow the aroma of delicious coffee to transport you. For the easiest DIY, coat inexpensive candles with glue and roll them in coffee beans our grounds. Make a more advanced coffee candle in an old coffee mug by gluing a wick to the inside bottom of the mug. Melt wax, either unscented soy wax or pieces of old candles. Pour a little wax into the bottom of the mug then add some coffee beans or grounds. Alternate the wax and coffee until the mug is filled. As you're adding the wax you can also add other scents like vanilla.
Now it's time to start the pampering.
Hair
Beginning at the top, use your spent coffee grounds on your hair to make it shiny and soft. The caffeine in the coffee grounds may even help stimulate growth. Massage your scalp with your used coffee grounds then work them through your hair to the ends. Leave the grounds on your hair for one minute and rinse with cool water. Wash your hair as usual. Do this twice a month to strip out any residue left by your shampoo and conditioner.
Make your brunette hair color richer by adding one to two teaspoons of used coffee grounds to a handful of conditioner. Work it through your just shampooed tresses and let it sit for no more than five minutes. Rinse with cool water and style as usual. This is not recommended for lighter colored hair.
Face
Brighten your skin with a mixture of plain yogurt and coffee. Use 2 tablespoons of yogurt and blend with one tablespoon of coffee. Apply the mixture liberally to your face and let sit for 15 minutes. Rinse with cool water and enjoy your glowing skin.
Feeling a little puffy? Make coffee ice cubes to reduce swelling around your eyes and all across your face. Simply brew a pot of coffee, pour it into an ice cube tray, and place it in the freezer. Once frozen, take a cube and rub it in a circular motion around your eyes and across the bones of your face. Allow it to dry naturally. Rinse your face with cool water and pat dry. For more hydration, add one to two teaspoons of aloe or milk to the coffee before freezing. Don't have time to wait for the freezer? Chill some used coffee grounds and apply them to your under-eye area for 10 minutes then rinse well.
Are your lips dry and cracked? Add half a teaspoon of used coffee grounds to half a teaspoon of honey and mix well. Rub the mixture on your lips in a circular motion for 30 seconds then wipe clean with a damp washcloth. Follow up with a moisturizing lip balm.
Body
Use coffee as a gentler alternative for exfoliation. Sugar and salt can remove dead skin cells and leave your skin soft and glowing, but it can also irritate your skin. Coffee is softer and less likely to scratch or inflame. A blend of used coffee grounds and organic coconut oil can be used all over your body. Concentrate on areas like your elbows and knees. Rub the mixture gently on your skin in a circular motion. Leave on your skin for a few minutes then rinse off in the shower.
Using a coffee scrub may also help with cellulite. The caffeine, exfoliation, and moisturizing all work together to potentially reduce the appearance of cellulite. Just remember, cellulite is something we all deal with and there is no cure.
Feet
Looking for soft feet? Grab those coffee grounds and get to work. Mix together one cup of organic coconut oil with a half-cup of coffee grounds and a few drops of vanilla. Soak your feet for 10 to 15 minutes in warm water then massage with the coffee mixture. Rinse with warm water and pat dry.
Hands
For a bonus, coffee can be used on your hands not only to soften them but also to remove unsavory smells. Keep a jar of used coffee grounds by the sink. Each time you find yourself with smelly hands from cleaning fish, chopping garlic, or anything else that might be stinky, rub your hands with a couple of teaspoons of coffee grounds. Once the smell has been neutralized, wash them like normal.
We hope you enjoy your DIY at-home spa day. Let us know if you find any other coffee beauty hacks we can add to our home spa menu.